Test Bank for Organic Chemistry: Principles and Mechanisms (Second Edition) Second Edition

Test Bank for Organic Chemistry: Principles and Mechanisms

(Second Edition) Second Edition
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TEST BANK

Organic Chemistry: Prin-

ciples and Mechanisms
Second Edition

Joel M. Karty

James Wollack
ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY

Christopher Markworth
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Jennifer Griffith
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

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On the high veldt near Olifantsfontein, and just at sunrise, the English
opened a hot fire on about 100 of us at a distance of no more than 300 yards.
Major Wolmorans, of the artillery, was in command. He had put no guards
out and we were caught, most of us, sound asleep. The rapid firing aroused
us quickly, and when Major Pretorius and I (we always bunked together)
jumped up, we saw twelve Tommies trying to drop us. All the horses
stampeded, with the exception of six, and it certainly looked as if we were at
last captured. Commandant Prinsloo, a most level-headed and dashing young
officer, with about 100 men, was about a quarter of a mile from us, and he
was attacked at the same time.
I had a fine horse that Major Pretorius had given me, but he was the craziest
animal under fire I ever saw. He was one of the six horses that were tied and
couldn't run away. The other five were quiet, and easily saddled, but no
dozen men could put a saddle on mine, because he was standing on his hind
feet and fighting with his forefeet. As the English had the small sum of
$25,000 on my head, I was determined not to be taken in, if I could help it,
so I jumped on him, he leaped into the air, went over a stone wall and
seemed to be trying to break his neck. Having gone about 800 yards, I got
control of him, hauled him in and turned about to see what was going on. I
could see no more than thirty or forty English, so went back at once. I could
see our stampeded horses about three miles away, and half of the artillery
boys in hot pursuit.
The English broke and fled, and Major Pretorius with four mounted men,
went after them in hot haste. It looked foolish, but it turned out otherwise.
Those five men chased those forty scouts and Captain Wood and Captain
Morley for nine miles, killing four and wounding seven, and capturing some
horses. Captain Morley was severely wounded by Major Pretorius, who
charged upon him with his mauser revolver. We missed being captured by
the main column passing about one mile from us. Had all of them been
present, I think that not one of us would have escaped being killed or
captured. A few days afterwards, we read Captain Wood's report, and in it he
said that he and forty of his scouts were ambushed by about 700 Boers in the
early morning, a fight ensued in which he counted twenty-three Boers killed,
but did not know the number of wounded. We all exclaimed, "What a liar!"
We had just one man slightly wounded, and Captain Wood's scouts, who
were prisoners in our camp, will tell him so, too. Speaking of his own loss,
Captain Wood said that Captain Morley was severely wounded in the
stomach, four men killed, seven wounded and fourteen missing. We knew
nothing about the fourteen missing, for we only saw the four killed, and the
seven wounded.
Every day for the rest of the month we were attacked by the English, and a
short hot skirmish would ensue. In the end, of course, we had to fly, for the
English were always fifteen or twenty to one against us. It was very trying
work, and the nights were still severely cold, yet the boys were always in
good spirits, and ready for business.
In the Free State some blockhouses were blown up, some taken, and one or
two trains fell into General De Wet's hands, but otherwise there was little
done. In Cape Colony, both General Smuts and General Kritsinger were very
lively. More towns had been taken, several convoys and many prisoners had
been captured, and, on the whole, the English had been badly worsted
throughout the Colony.
September is the month in which Kitchener's proclamation of banishment is
to take effect, and the Boers came in to surrender in this way. General Louis
Botha was near the Natal Border and found English and fortified camps
plentiful. Forts Prospect and Itala, both fortified places, were attacked and
after very severe fighting for many hours, General Botha's men proved too
much for the English behind the walls, and gained two victories. He had one
more short fight, and when ready to start back to the high veldt he found that
he had taken three guns, over 300 prisoners and 130 heavily loaded wagons;
this, too, on the very day that he and his officers were to be banished if they
did not come in and surrender.
Matters were quiet in the Free State, so we pass on to Cape Colony. On
September 15th, the day of banishment, General Kritsinger attacked and put
to flight one column, while General Smuts smashed another and took two
extra guns with him. This day was celebrated all over Cape Colony by the
commandants, but I regret to say that two of the very best of them were very
unfortunate. Commandant Lotter and over a hundred men were surrounded
and captured after a most desperate fight. Because he made such a brave
showing and because he wrought so much havoc with English columns, he
was promptly hanged. Young Scheepers, who was so ill with fever that he
could not ride, was also captured, tied in a chair and shot, as well as his two
lieutenants, Wolvarts and Schoeman. These brave men had fought many
successful battles and laid low many English officers and men, therefore,
they must die. After a while I will have something more to say about these
good men, young Louw and other martyrs.
In the Western Transvaal, General de la Rey also celebrated the 15th of
September by taking 200 men and attacking Colonel Kekewich and 1200 at
Selons River. Colonel Kekewich lost all his horses, his wagons, had a
narrow escape, and he with his men fled as fast as their legs could take them,
while General de la Rey continued to harass them. Had General de la Rey
had a few more men, he would have taken the whole column, but he had to
content himself with all the horses.
All this went to show Lord Kitchener how much the Boers thought of his
threats and proclamation. If there were 10,000 Boers in the field, and no
more than 50,000 English, and the Boers should issue such a proclamation,
why, the English would fairly break their necks, such would be their haste to
lay down their guns. But the Boers are soldiers who love liberty and their
Country, and therefore are not men to run and lay down their guns because
some high butcher at the head of 300,000 men threatens to banish them
forever from their country if they do not.

CHAPTER XXII.
ARTILLERY BOYS SURPRISED—A GREAT RACE—MURDER OF
TWO YOUNG BOERS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THEY WERE
MEMBERS OF THE IRISH BRIGADE—THE ONLY NAVAL BATTLE
OF THE WAR.
I October, Major Wolmorans, Major Pretorius, myself, Lieutenant Johannes
Malan, sixty-three artillery boys and one Irish boy, Mike Ryan, started for
the Pietersburg railway line to take in a train. To get there we had to pass
through the blockhouses on the Pretoria-Delagoa railway line. We camped
about six miles from this line, and when it was dark we saddled up and went
on our way. The blockhouses were so numerous that we would have to pass
close by them, but as they were not dangerous institutions, we thought little
about them. The armored trains by Balmoral Station were our great danger,
for they were equipped with men, cannon, maxims, and large search-lights.
At a point about 1000 yards from the line, we halted and Major Pretorius
rode ahead to investigate. We were just about one and one-half miles from
Balmoral, and great caution was necessary. Major Pretorius, when nearly
100 yards from the line, discovered the armored train, all in darkness, just
where we were to cross. He quietly slipped back to report and all had to turn
back to the camp we had left. The moon was nearly full, and this bothered
us, for we wished to cross early in the evening, and as the moon came so
soon, we were liable to be discovered. We remained in our old camp that
night, and went to another burnt farm house, about a mile distant, where we
stayed during the following night. It was well that we did so, for on the
morning afterwards, our old camp was surrounded, and the English maxims
cut down nearly all the trees about the ruins. On hearing the maxims, we
mounted our horses and rode to the top of a ridge to find out the trouble. The
English, on seeing us, fled in haste to Balmoral Station, whence they had
come.
We waited about for two more nights, and then decided to move out and
cross the line right by the station. We started very early, in order to be ahead
of the moon. We reached the line and just as we were crossing it, the moon
begun to peep above the horizon. We could plainly see the Tommies sitting
by their fires, smoking their pipes and enjoying themselves. We were not out
of danger, by any means, for should we be discovered, the armored train
would run up and easily sweep us off with the maxims.
Half a mile in front of us was a bad creek to cross, and there we expected
trouble. On reaching it, we found it well protected with barbed wire, but this
was soon cut, and we were safe on the north side of the line. We did not go
far before we unsaddled, slept a few hours, and then rode on towards
Rhinoster Kop. On the night of the second day, we camped in the bush about
twenty miles north-east of Pretoria, and not far from the Pietersburg railway
line. On reconnoitring, the line was found so well guarded with armed
Kaffirs that it was thought unwise to try to take in a train.
Major Wolmorans then turned his attention to some cattle near the Hatherly
Distillery, which is on the Pretoria-Delagoa railway line. He went in with
about thirty men, spent the night in rain, and received a sweeping fire from
an armored train which was near at hand. No one knows how any one
escaped, but not one was touched. On their return next morning, they
presented a very sorry looking appearance. We went back a few miles and
camped at Zusters Hoek.
This little escapade stirred up the English and three columns promptly
showed up. Commandant Groenewald with 200 men, and Jack Hindon with
sixty men joined with us and drove one of the columns back close to
Pretoria. They then returned to their camps near Rhinoster Kop and we were
again alone and camped at Zusters Hoek. The other two English columns
were still near Balmoral.
On the following day, we could see the English scouts on a hill about five
miles away, between us and Pretoria. Major Pretorius and I were sure that an
attack was intended that night, and we tried to get Major Wolmorans to
move away. But he wouldn't. We told him that we were going to a good
kopje a short distance off, in the early morning, because we did not care to
be surrounded and captured. He said all right; so at daylight we went to the
kopje, but the English did not come. They were still on that same hill.
We remained where we were during the day, and Major Wolmorans
remained where he was. Night came and the men went to Major Wolmorans
and asked him to move to the kopje where Major Pretorius and I were. He
told them that there was no danger, and that he would stay where he was.
At daylight the following morning we were aroused by the singing of
maxims in the direction of Major Wolmoran's camp. About 700 cavalry had
him three-quarters surrounded, all firing, as well as four maxims which
clattered continually. The artillery boys ran for their horses, some saddled,
others had no time, and some couldn't get their horses at all. Here they came
towards us in the wildest disorder, Major Wolmorans with them. The
English, whooping and yelling, followed in hot pursuit, and a race under
whip and spur for four miles followed. The English lost, and all the artillery
boys escaped except twenty-six, who were captured in the camp. This long
race caused the remaining thirty-seven men to scatter so that it was a week
before they all got together. Half of them were without blankets, saddles and
cooking utensils, and be assured they were a dilapidated, disgusted looking
lot of men. Major Wolmorans, too, had lost all he had, and Major Pretorius
and I had lost nothing.
We now set out to return to the high veldt, where we arrived early in
November, because we had no trouble whatever passing blockhouses and
railway lines. Among our captured was Mick Ryan and a little Frenchman by
the name of Regal, and I felt sure they would be shot. Strange to say, two
men, supposed to be Ryan and Regal, were shot on October 29th, three days
after the capture. The two unfortunates were young burghers who talked
English. I must here state that towards the end of the war, all those who
spoke English and were captured were almost sure to be shot.
The Australians and Canadians murdered many men after they had
surrendered, and I have heard them boast about it in Pretoria after peace was
made. They were the most thorough bred ruffians that ever put their feet on
South African soil, and had the Boers known during the war what they
learned after the war, about the many innocent men murdered in cold blood,
I am sure that at least half of the Canadian and Australian contingents would
have been shot, for at least that many had been captured. The Boers always
treated them as soldiers and gentlemen, and on releasing them would always
wish them better luck next time.
Near Pietersburg lived some Boers, two or three, and they were supposed to
have money. Of course, they were "Hands-uppers," having voluntarily gone
in and surrendered their guns. With them was a German missionary and one
English soldier, a visitor. Major Morand and Lieutenant Hancock, two
Australian officers, went to this farm with the intent of robbing the Boers,
not knowing that there was an English soldier there. On making their
demand, the Boers protested and were at once shot down. The German
missionary showed himself, and of course Major Morand had to shoot him,
too. In the house was also this English soldier, and to close his mouth they
shot him, too. A Kaffir was at the place, and told the officers at Pietersburg.
Major Morand and Lieutenant Hancock knew nothing about the Kaffir, for
they had not seen him, so they proceeded to rob the house and their dead
victims. On returning to Pietersburg, both were arrested and charged with
murder. They were tried and shot "for murdering Boers," nothing being said
about a German missionary and English soldier. The fact is, they were both
shot for murdering the English soldier, and for no other reason. Had not the
proper authorities shot them, the soldiers would have taken the law in their
hands and done the work. It does seem that the English can do nothing
without resorting to deception or lying, and in this they easily excel the
whole civilized world. Any British officer or soldier who could prove that he
had murdered more Boers than any other man in the army, would be certain
to receive the Victoria Cross.
In the Free State everything was very quiet, so I will pass into the Colony.
October is a particularly conspicuous month, because it witnessed the only
naval battle of the war. This took place at Saldanha Bay, a few miles above
Cape Town, on the east coast. The Boers had passed through Cape Colony
and landed at this beautiful bay, where they took seven English officers
prisoners. Not far out in the bay an English boat was anchored, and the
Boers thought they would seize it. They collected all the row-boats about the
place, took their rifles and in one long line advanced to make the capture.
When near enough, they demanded its surrender. The captain refused, and
the Boers opened fire. The captain became frightened, and put up the white
flag. Just as the victorious Boer sailors were about to take possession, they
discovered an English gun-boat coming to the rescue, so they had to paddle
for all they were worth to reach the shore again before this gun-boat could
get within range. They succeeded and were safe, but the gun-boat stopped
short of rifle range, so the battle was over. The Boers remained here for a
day, then released the seven officers, and went prowling about the Colony as
they pleased. The inhabitants supplied them with food, horses, clothing and
everything they could possibly wish.
 A T B F
When the news of the naval battle reached Cape Town, of course the English
went crazy with excitement, for they fully expected to see the Boers in their
midst every moment. Lord Kitchener became alarmed, too, and proclaimed
all Cape Colony under martial law. That naval battle caused much trouble,
for now martial law was supreme throughout the Colony, and young men
and women were everywhere arrested and imprisoned from one to six
months for assisting the Boers, while the inhabitants of the Colony had to
submit to having their horses forcibly taken from them, or to witness their
being shot by the English troops. All their food stuffs, sheep, cattle, etc.,
were taken from them, and they were all left high and dry with seven days'
food in the house. All their forage and grain was carried away or burnt, and
had it been possible, their crops would have been destroyed, too.
Yes, that naval battle put things in an awful mess in Cape Colony, and had
Generals Botha, De Wet and de la Rey been there with their forces, 75,000
rebels would have joined them and their two little Republics, and Cape
Colony would to-day be free and independent. Generals Smuts and
Kritsinger and all their commandants were daily fighting in some of the
districts, and the very fact that martial law was now made to cover the entire
Colony, showed conclusively that Lord Kitchener and the British
Government were both much alarmed, and looked upon the situation as so
critical as to demand every attention.
In the Western Transvaal, General de la Rey found Colonel Van Donlop and
his column in his way, so he attacked them, put them to rout, took fifteen of
their wagons heavily loaded, and went on his way to the Magielesberg,
where several columns had lately tried to corner the cute General Kemp.
This Colonel Van Donlop was not out to fight men, but to maltreat women
and children. He was burning their homes, and all their possessions, and
leaving them to starve to death on the veldt because they would not make
their men come in and surrender.

CHAPTER XXIII.
GEN. BOTHA'S BRILLIANT CHARGE—OUR FRENCH GUN
CAPTURED—MAJOR PRETORIUS CAPTURED—A CLOSE CALL
BUT ALL ENDS WELL—GEN. DE WET'S DARING WORK.
I the month of November, although on the high veldt there was daily
skirmishing with the English, there was but one really good fight, and that
was one of the most brilliant and dashing of the war. In the eastern part of
the high veldt, many of the English columns were at their same old game,
trying to corner General Louis Botha. For the tenth time, he had outwitted
them and escaped from their clutches. He at once left those parts, and came
to our section in the west. At Brakenlaagte, not far from the little town of
Bethel, he discovered an English column. He collected some of the small
commandos near and found he had 470 men. This he considered sufficient
for his work.
Brakenlaagte is a beautiful grassy plain, very tempting for a cavalry charge.
About a mile behind the main column, the English commander, Colonel
Benson, left a strong rear guard and two guns. General Botha decided to
charge first the rear guard and then the main column, which was about 1,500
strong. He gave the word, and off the Boers went at high speed, whooping
and yelling and crying, "Look out, Khakies, we are coming." The rear guard
mounted and fled, leaving two guns behind them, but the most of the
burghers passed the guns and continued the chase. So demoralized were the
English, that many of them threw away helmets, rifles, belts, etc., and ran in
all directions in hope of escaping. A part of the column, however, stood its
ground well and poured in a hot fire on the Boers near the two captured
guns. Finally the whole column, with its four remaining guns, fled, leaving
wagons, carts, etc., in the hands of the Boers. General Botha with 470 had,
by a dashing charge, won a most brilliant victory. Over 300 English were
killed and wounded, and nearly 400 taken prisoners. These men were
released. This column never again took part in the war, and was for months
laid up for repairs. Its brave commander, Colonel Benson, was mortally
wounded and soon died.
Among the first captured was one Tommie, with whom a young burgher had
exchanged clothes, and by accident General Botha saw this Tommie and,
taking him for one of his burghers who was lagging behind, struck him with
his whip and ordered him into the fight.
 WILL BARTER, JOHN HYGELSEN KLOPPER.
The Treasury Department in the Field. Wm. Barter, chief of the Money
Printing Division, on the left.
The poor fellow was scared half to death, but found words enough to
murmur, "I am an English prisoner." General Botha then saw what had
happened to the young fellow, and he immediately apologized. The young
fellow said in reply "That he was proud that he could say that he had been
struck with a whip by such a brave man, and the commandant general of the
Boer Army."
Among Colonel Benson's letters was one written that day to his wife, and in
it he stated that he had been searching for the Boers all day and had been
much disappointed in not finding them, for he was longing for a fight. The
letter was returned to be forwarded. Colonel Benson had a great reputation
as an artillerist, and was undoubtedly one of the bravest and most dashing
officers in the English Army.
General De Wet and some of his commandants had a few small fights in the
Free State, but none of any importance. General Smuts was creating
considerable excitement in Cape Colony, and some of the commandants
were doing likewise. One of Smuts' commandos captured about 200 men in
one fight. The English press claim that these men deliberately refused to
fight, and laid down their arms on a preconcerted agreement. I do not know
how much truth there is in this, but I do know that the Tommies were getting
tired of being shot down. Many hundreds of prisoners taken on the high
veldt would fairly beg not to be released, and said they would be glad to live
on mush and meat. They were so utterly disgusted with the war that many,
after being released, would follow up the Boer commandos, and then beg not
to be sent away. Sometimes they had to be sent in with an escort. We could
have put many in the bush veldt where there was food, but had any of them
died of sickness, the English would have sent the news broadcast that they
had been murdered. Evidently they preferred to be so murdered by the Boers
rather than be actually murdered by their incompetent English officers.
With few exceptions, certain it is that the British soldier had but little respect
for the British officer. Many times Lord Kitchener sent his cablegrams
charging the Boers with maltreating or murdering some of the English
prisoners, and after peace was made some British officers took pleasure in
throwing this libellous charge into my face. In every instance I replied "Yes,
you make this charge against the Boers; but call up some of the men who
were taken prisoners at the same time, and let me hear what they have to say
about it." Not one of them would think of doing this, because they said that
an English officer's word was as good as his bond. No English officer would
dare to submit the case to such a test, because he knows that the first man
questioned would prove him a liar.
I came near getting into trouble with some of them on this subject, for at
times my retorts were very warm and to the point, considering that I had just
surrendered my rifle, and was being closely watched by a lot of hounds. The
very fact that every one took particular pains to bring up this subject was
proof in itself that they were lying, and trying to find some one who might
say that possibly he had seen one man unfairly shot. I have seen and talked
with hundreds of English prisoners, but never heard one make any such a
charge. In fact, everyone will tell you that the Boers treated him as a soldier
and a man, wounded or not wounded. In other parts of the land, there was no
fighting of any consequence.
In December, although we had the usual daily attacks on the high veldt, there
is but one that I will mention, because I read General Bruce Hamilton's
report of it. At Wilkrans, a high ridge about nine miles from Ermelo, there
were about 300 of us camped, with General Piet Viljoen in command. From
this position, our scouts reported that there were twenty-eight English camps
in striking distance and well around us. Our chances for escape were none
too good. Yet General Piet Viljoen did not consider that we were in any
danger.
Without going into details, I will simply say that at daylight the following
morning, we were surrounded by 4,000 cavalry, and it was a case of run for
your life or surrender. All escaped but sixty-nine men, and our one cannon.
Not a man was killed on our side, that is certain, and if any were wounded,
they were taken prisoners. We escaped under a hot fire, and this was kept up
on us for about three miles. In his report, General Bruce Hamilton had
sixteen killed, many wounded, whom he left at the farm ruins, and one gun
taken, as well as sixty-nine prisoners. How an English general can report
such a monstrous lie is beyond me, for he knows that his men know, and that
we know that no one was killed on the Boer side. Within half an hour after
the English left, some of the boys rode back to look over the place. There
was but one man killed in that fight, and he was a Scotchman whom the
English half buried before they left. Bruce Hamilton is generally known as
"Brute" Hamilton, and while this name fits him as far as it goes, yet "Brute
Hamilton the liar" would fit him still better.
It was during this month, too, that I suffered the loss of my old friend and
companion, Major J.I. Pretorius. During my absence he and thirty-three
artillery boys were surrounded by about 300 cavalry near Balmoral Station,
and captured. Be it said to his credit that he and his men never surrendered.
Every cartridge they had they fired, and when they had no more, the English
simply came and took them. I was sure he would never hoist the white flag,
and I was sure, too, that he would never surrender as long as he had a
cartridge left. He was a dashing fellow, thirty years old, and did not know
what fear was. He is one of the great Pretorius family of South Africa, and
he made the name good. Had he not been so reckless, I think he would have
been appointed a general, and I am sure he would have proved himself a
most brilliant one.
To show what a reckless devil he was, I will tell you that one day I was
about 1,500 yards from him and another reckless fellow, Lieutenant Roos, of
the artillery. They wished to attract my attention and have me come where
they were. To do this he and Roos loaded their rifles, took deliberate aim,
and fired at us. The bullets went just over our heads, and struck not twenty
feet from us. We concluded they were English, and prepared to return the
fire, when off they galloped. We went after them and found them at a house
that had only been partially destroyed. We recognized their horses tied to a
tree, and rode up to them. I gave him blazes, but he simply smiled, and said,
"Can't you take a joke?"
Now that he had been captured, I felt very lonely, and took but little pleasure
in every-day life. The English were continually after us, however, and
surrounded about eighty of us at daylight in the morning. Firing seemed to
come from all directions but one, and in that direction we looked for safety.
We went at full speed and had gone but a few hundred yards when we saw
some cavalry just coming up in front of us. We thought we were gone, and
this cavalry thought we were charging them, so off they went at the top of
their speed. We were brave now and went right after them, scattered them
and chased them three miles, when we stopped, having captured in the race
sixty-three of them with as many fine horses. That is what we considered
great luck.
Now I will go into the Free State, and say a few words about one of General
De Wet's most daring deeds.
It was at Groenkop, a high hill on the farm Tweefontein, near the little town
of Bethlehem. It was Christmas eve and all wanted a Christmas pie. This
was a high hill with three very steep, abrupt sides, while the other was a
gentle slope leading to the plain below. On the top of this hill were about 380
men well protected in about twelve forts. General De Wet, when it was dark,
took 500 men and approached the steep side opposite the one of easy ascent,
because he knew that the English would all prepare for attack from the
easiest way. He and his men crawled up that hill, and when first challenged
by the English sentry they rushed forward, and after a hot face to face fight,
captured all the force, forts and stores. According to General De Wet's own
report, he lost fourteen killed and thirty wounded, while the English lost 116
dead and wounded, and 240 prisoners. He took one cannon, one pom-pom,
twenty wagons, a great quantity of ammunition and rifles, 500 horses and
mules, and a load of whiskey, so he and his men were well supplied for a
fine Christmas dinner.

THE GOVERNMENT VELDT MINT IN THE LAST DITCH

Strange to say, the Boers nearly always took from the English their
Christmas dinners. The first Christmas they took nearly all the Queen's
chocolates, the second Christmas, all the plum puddings, and now General
De Wet, a third Christmas, has taken the poor devils' Christmas dinner from
them again. I heard some prisoners once say that they wished their friends at
home would secretly send them Christmas dinners three months ahead, so
that they could get them and eat them before the Boers found it out.
Generals Smuts and Kritsinger continued to make things merry in Cape
Colony, and their commandants helped themselves to several convoys, much
to the regret of the English, but with great pleasure to themselves. Before the
month closed, however, General Kritsinger was severely wounded while
trying to rescue one of his wounded men near a blockhouse, and was in
consequence captured. In this was a severe loss, for he was a dashing and
persistent fighter.
Many other small fights took place, and the Boer commandants were
generally successful in taking a few prisoners and wagons.

CHAPTER XXIV.
DESTRUCTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN—THE ONLY WAY TO
END THE WAR—SCOTS GREYS ROUTED—ENGLISH TROOPS AND
ARMED KAFFIRS FIGHT SIDE BY SIDE—GEN. DE WET
COMPLETELY CORNERED.
T year 1901 came to an end and the Boers were still in excellent spirits,
and good fighting trim. Our little command was twenty-five miles from
Pretoria, and in addition to our dinner of mealie pap and fresh meat, we
received through our famous spy, Captain Naude, our weekly mail from
Pretoria. Letters informed us that Lord Kitchener wanted reinforcements to
bring the war to a speedy end, and that the application of martial law in Cape
Colony was making trouble among the British subjects. With all this the
burghers were highly pleased, but the further news, that their women and
children were daily dying by the hundreds in the prison camps, cast a gloom
over all, and they spent most of the afternoon and evening in prayer.
Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener, Joe Chamberlain and Milner, all fully realized
that the only way to bring the war to a speedy end was to destroy the Boer
women and children as quickly as possible. They all worked to the same
diabolical end, and within eighteen months their death lists contained the
names of 22,000 defenceless Boer women and children.
The new year begins well, for the burghers are determined to fight. They did
not generally know, however, that their women and children were being
murdered by wholesale, otherwise I am sure they would have stopped the
war at once. The English columns made a desperate effort on the high veldt
during January, and it was fighting here and there and everywhere every day.
There was no rest for any one, and I think that General Botha was cornered
every day, but he was never found in the corner. I was with Commandant
Joacham Prinsloo and 120 men early in this month of January, and we
camped by the Klip-Kopjes about six miles from Bronkhorst Spruit, a station
on the Delagoa railway line. It was very warm and we were trying to shelter
ourselves from the sun by hanging blankets on our rifles, when suddenly,
about ten a.m., the English began to fire on us from some Kaffir kraals about
800 yards distant. Our horses were out grazing, but within five minutes all
had caught their horses, saddled them, and were striking for the English. The
English scouts left the kraals when they saw the Boers coming in a gallop.
On reaching the kraals and kopjes near by, we discovered about 700
advancing. They tried at first to surround us, but grew frightened, because
they saw the Boers were too determined, and all began to retreat. The Boers
charged and the English fled with the Boers hot after them. This regiment of
700 men was the Scots Greys, and all were panic stricken. They were
scattered in every direction, and making for the forts on the railway line.
Before they found safety, however, the Boers had killed seven, wounded
eighteen, captured twenty-three men and nearly sixty horses, bridles and
saddles. The enemy really put up no fight at all, and when asked the reason,
they said, "Our time is up in March, and we are not going to fight any more,
for we are tired of it, and the English always manage to keep out of the
fight."
I merely mention this to show the feelings of some of the so-called Scotch
regiments at this stage of the war.
In the Free State they were constantly cornering General De Wet, and,
although he was many times cornered, yet he was never captured. In Cape
Colony the Boer commandants kept all the districts in great turmoil, and
General French and his big army seemed helpless to do anything. Besides,
the blockhouses were giving the English trouble too, for Commandant Alex
Boshof was slipping up nightly and blowing them up with dynamite. This
perfect little dare devil, with his equal, Captain John Shea, blew up fifty or
sixty of them, and so terrorized the Tommies that they would not take
chances in them at night. Now, the commandos could cross the lines easily,
for the Tommies would lie in trenches and not shoot if the Boers let them
alone.
In the Western Transvaal, some of General de la Rey's commandos were sent
after cattle to the Mafeking border. They were successful and returned with
some 20,000 head. Little else was done in this part of the world. In the
North, General Beyers attacked Pietersburg and after a very hot fight,
released 160 Boers whom the English had in a camp near the town.
Fortunately, he was able to take them out all mounted and well armed.
Now I come to February, when there is not nearly as much rain as in
January. During the month of January, heavy rains fall daily, and as the
Boers were without shelter or overcoats and constantly wet, they were not
inclined to be active. In February, they are dry at least half the time, so one
may expect them to do something.
I forgot to say that late in January, in company with Walter Trichardt, a
young Colonial, and four young Boers, I decided to cross the railway line,
and visit Commandant Trichardt and Captain Jack Hindon, both old friends
of mine. We foresaw much trouble, so we concluded to make a careful
survey of the situation before trying our luck. Walter and myself rode
directly towards Balmoral Station, on the main road, and when within about
two miles of the numerous forts and blockhouses, we halted and used our
glasses. We could see no one about the forts or blockhouses, so we rode on
till within 600 yards of one of the largest forts. Now we were close to
Balmoral, could see the poor women and children cramped up in the beastly
concentration camp, and about 200 Tommies. In the forts and blockhouses
we could discover no life whatever, so we knew that all available men were
out trying to corner General Botha.
We came back, joined the four young Boers, returned to the line within a
mile of Balmoral, cut twelve barbed wires, and went on our way. The
English had put up dummy soldiers at the blockhouses, and dummy cannon
on high points near them, but we were not frightened by them in the least. I
mention this, because we soon had trouble, and I witnessed something that
will give Joe Chamberlain, Lord Kitchener and Lord Milner the direct lie.
We are now in February, and about twenty-five miles north of Middleburg.
We are with Commandant Trichardt, of the Artillery, Captain Jack Hindon
and Captain Karl Trichardt. The entire command is 213 strong. It is rolling
prairie where we are camped, and on the Middleburg side are several
thousand cavalry, and on the north side about five miles distant, some 4,000
Kaffirs who had been armed by the English. We kept a good look out both
ways. Yet before the month came to an end, we were surrounded at daylight
and suffered severely. Colonel Park with about 4,000 cavalry and 600 armed
Kaffirs, made a night march and attacked us just at sunrise. They were on
three sides of us, and the 4,000 armed Kaffirs were on the fourth side. They
began to fire on us at a range of six or seven hundred yards, and as our
horses were not saddled, but out grazing, one can well imagine that we were
in a hot corner. Every man ran for his horse and pack horse, and under heavy
fire saddled and packed. Then it was time that every man should make a
dash for liberty. We put in the spurs and all made the dash, but unfortunately
only thirty-nine of us succeeded in escaping. My pack mule always followed
me, and although she fell far behind and the English hurled a storm of
bullets at her, yet she came through all right, and joined me. These 600
armed Kaffirs were on the English left flank and fought in line with the
Tommies; yet Chamberlain, Kitchener, Roberts, and Milner all swore that
they had no armed Kaffirs with them in the war. Now, when any man tells
me that such Englishmen as these are capable of telling the truth, I know at
once that man is either an Englishman himself or an Anglo-American.
On the high veldt the English columns were still very numerous, and there
was daily fighting, but the Boers held their own and suffered but little.
Commandant Alberts and Veldtcornet Tromp attacked the Scots Greys, who
had shown up again, and utterly routed them near Springs, killing and
capturing a few, and several horses. These Scots evidently meant it when
they told us in January that they would not fight any more. In the Free State
there was an army 60,000 strong in the field, bent on cornering and
capturing General De Wet. They had him and his burghers with 500 cattle in
a triangle, two sides of which were lines of blockhouses and networks of
barbed wire. On both sides the blockhouses were very near to each other,
and all well manned. It would seem almost impossible for any Boer force
less than a thousand strong to pass through.
On the third side were about 40,000 English, and their plan was to drive
General De Wet into the angle formed by the blockhouse lines. They were
advancing rapidly, and General De Wet knew that he must decide and act
quickly, so he made up his mind to cross the Lindley-Kroonstad line of
blockhouses. It was a very dark night and he had lost sight of his cattle, but
there was no time to lose in trying to recover them. On reaching the line, he
cut out a passage in the net-work of barbed wire within a hundred yards of
the blockhouses on either side, and passed through without a shot being
fired. He went on for a few miles and unsaddled for the night. He had not
been in camp very long before he heard shouting in the darkness, and much
to his surprise here came four young burghers with the 500 cattle which he
had given up as lost. These youngsters had cut away the wires and driven all
these cattle between the blockhouses without the English firing a shot. The
blockhouse system may be a great invention, but it is of no earthly use when
fighting such an enemy as the Boers. I am sure that we crossed the
blockhouse lines on the high veldt at least fifty times, yet I never heard a
shot from one of them.
I remember one occasion when 300 Boers, about 100 trek wagons loaded
with women and children, and nearly 10,000 head of cattle, passed through a
line of blockhouses, and not one shot was fired. We were well surrounded,
and on the following morning, the English spent hours hunting us within the
circle, while we were at least ten miles away. The English officer is certainly
a brilliant soldier.
It was only a few days after this that the English suddenly came upon these
wagons, women and children, and, of course, captured them. About an hour
afterwards, a small Boer commando with a French gun discovered the
wagons moving along with an escort of about fifty Tommies. The Boers
could not attack, on account of the women and children, but one of the
artillery boys thought he would see what effect a shell would have on the
escort. He sighted the gun so that the shell would be sure to fall well to one
side. The shell struck and exploded, about 200 yards from the escort, and
every man fled as fast as his horse could take him. Then the women turned
their wagons about and returned to the Boers. To each wagon was yoked
from twelve to sixteen bullocks, and the women had to drive them. It was a
sad sight to see those young and old ladies, and even children, working like
slaves to escape capture by the English. They preferred to take the chance of
being shot or of dying in open field, to sure death in the English prison
camp.
The bird having escaped for the hundredth time, the English columns went
back to their respective stations, and then General De Wet, too, returned to
his old corner.
After a week's rest, out came the English, more numerous than ever, and the
general could see columns of them in every direction. It was plain to him
that they did not intend to make use of the blockhouse lines, but to form a
continuous circle around him. They succeeded, and General De Wet was
again rounded up. When night came, he started out for freedom or death, and